MORE than 40 young gang members were in custody today after a six-month blitz by police on north Liverpool.

A hit-list containing 104 names of known gang members in Croxteth, Norris Green and Fazakerley was drawn up by police at the height of last year’s gang problems in the area.

And today, Merseyside’s police chief revealed his officers had locked up 41 in the last six months alone.

In Stockbridge Village and Huyton, police have taken five out of their 10 young targets off the streets.

But, despite gang members being behind bars and more than 35 guns being recovered, the number of shooting incidents in L11 has actually risen – from five to nine over six months.

In the wake of the murder of Rhys Jones last August, Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe put a team of 55 extra officers into hotspot areas. They have been on foot patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week since then.

They have carried out nearly 10,000 stop searches, searched more than 700 addresses and arrested 529 suspects.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: “Thanks to this operation, in Stockbridge Village and Huyton, we have seen the number of shooting incidents drop and have seen overall levels of crime fall, too.

“Unfortunately, in L11, we have seen the number of firearms discharges rise from five in the six months up to November to nine in the following six months.

“It shows we still have much to do but we knew these officers would not win the war against gun crime alone and they are being backed up by the detectives from our Matrix squad.

“We have taken known gang members out of the picture and put them behind bars but there are still firearms on the streets and these are falling into the hands of a new generation of youngsters not previously known to us.

“The extra patrols have been in place for six months and will be here for another six months at least.

“We would like to put more officers out right across Merseyside but we have to prioritise these hot-spot areas.”

Give up the gun thugs, says chief

CHIEF Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe today called on communities to give up knife and gun thugs.

With mobile phone footage and videos on the internet of young thugs with weapons, Merseyside’s top cop believes they are not shy about it.

And he wants everyone to take responsibility for their own neighbourhood.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: “If you know someone who habitually carries a knife, if you tell us, we will find them, search them, take that blade and put them before the court.

“And if you know the origins of these videos passed around through mobiles and the internet, and where the guns are or who they have been bought from, you have a duty to come forward.

“If you associate with someone who carries a weapon, you are putting yourself in harm’s way because you are more likely to be injured or killed yourself.”

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or the gun crime hotline on 0800 458 1211.